Aaron Taylor-Johnson had to earn his role in Bullet Train after turning down Deadpool 2

Aaron Taylor-Johnson had to fight for his role in Bullet Train.

The 32-year-old actor plays the British assassin Tangerine in the new action-comedy flick and revealed that he had to compete for the part after turning down the chance to work with director David Leitch on Deadpool 2.

Aaron told The Hollywood Reporter: "David Leitch actually asked me to be in Deadpool 2 ages ago. So I met him, but I didn't do that.

"So when this came around...he was like, 'Get in line, buddy. There's like ten other actors who want this job, and they've got a bigger name than you do.'"

Aaron picked up a scar from a comedic fight scene with co-star Brad Pitt and was grateful that his character had his own combat style.

He explained: "All these characters have their own fighting styles, and I think that's important.

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"In a lot of action movies, they all fight as if they've been trained as martial artists, and you just know that some stunt double is doing everything.

"And I think that's really boring, whereas in this movie, all these characters fight very differently and distinctively."

Aaron continued: "That's when you create the comedy element because you really know who your character is. Fighting in a confined space also adds to that.

"So Brad and I would just go, 'What if we fight with a packet of crisps and a bottle of sparkling water?' You start to take from the Jackie Chans of the world and the Buster Keatons of the world, and that's what makes a David Leitch movie."